The Butler men’s basketball team hosts St. Bonaventure tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Bonnies have an overall record of 10-10 and are 3-4 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

St. Bonaventure won last year’s A-10 tournament, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Bonnies lost to Florida State 66-63 in the first round of the national tournament.

On Saturday evening, Butler beat Rhode Island 75-68 in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 at Hinkle.

The Bulldogs (18-4, 5-2) were led by senior guard Rotnei Clarke’s game-high 23 points.

The Rams (6-14, 1-6) pulled out to an early lead that held for the majority of the first half.

The Rams’ lead eventually began to evaporate, and a Clarke 3-pointer tied the game at 28 with 5:03 remaining in the first half.

Butler went on an 18-3 run in the first six minutes of the second half to grab a 48-35 advantage, the largest lead of the game for either team.

The Rams began to catch up late, creeping to within four points with 1:45 remaining in the game.

Butler had a 72-68 lead with 27 seconds remaining when Clarke was fouled. He made one of two foul shots to put the game away for the Bulldogs.

Junior forward Erik Fromm did not play and was not in attendance after his father, Len, died of cancer Saturday morning.

A moment of silence was observed before the game in memory of Len Fromm.

“I think what you learn is you don’t spend a lot of time on basketball,” coach Brad Stevens said of playing after learning of Len Fromm’s passing. “This is what happened. What can you do to be a supportive person?

“Let’s try to make each other proud with our effort even though it’s hard to really focus on that task.”

Attendance for Butler men’s basketball games this season is at in highest point in more than four decades.

Hinkle Fieldhouse has been sold out for games against Gonzaga and Temple.

“Especially ever since we beat Indiana, after that game we sold out the Gonzaga game within a few days,” Matt Harris, fan development manager, said.

The excitement created by the nationally-televised win over Gonzaga has seen fans gobbling up tickets for other Butler home games.

Tickets for this Saturday’s game against Rhode Island sold out last Thursday.

Only a few single tickets remained available for the game versus Saint Louis on Feb. 22 as of last Friday.

The senior night game against Xavier on March 9 sold out in early January.

Harris said with the other three home games falling on weekdays, it is unlikely they will sell out.

Season ticket sales also increased for the eighth straight year, Harris said.

Last season 115,231 fans attended Butler men’s basketball games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, an average of 7,202 per game.

The Bulldogs had not seen average attendance that high since they averaged more than 8,000 fans per game in 1964.

And attendance this year is expected to be even greater than last season’s totals.

Through 10 home games this season, 75,593 fan have attended the men’s games. That is an average of 7,559 per game. Last season through 10 home games the average attendance was 6,905 fans per game.

This season, the Gonzaga game saw the whole allotment of student seats filled, a rare occurrence even with the success of Butler in recent seasons.

“We have a set number of seats that we hold aside for students regardless of whether or not the rest of the tickets are sold out,” Lindsay Martin, sports marketing manager, said.

“Twice since I’ve been here have we ever reached that number in student attendance,” she said. “That was up to last weekend’s Gonzaga game and Ohio State in (2009).”

The number of student seats reserved for a game can vary from 1,200 to 1,500, depending on the demand.

The process for getting a seat for the Gonzaga game differed in that students were required to get a wristband in advance of the game if they wanted to be in attendance.

This was done because of the high demand for tickets for the sold-out game.

Martin said there is not much concern for possibly needing to turn students away at sold-out games if there are no student seats left.

“We’re not really concerned about that because we’ve only reached that magical student number twice in the last six years, and over those six years, we’ve been pretty good,” Martin said. “When you look at it, over a quarter of the student body would have to come to a game for us to be concerned about that.

“If that does become a concern, that’s a great problem to have.”

Student attendance going into the Gonzaga game was actually down slightly from last season, but much of that has to do with the number of home games that were played when students were on break, Martin said.

“We’re not concerned about student attendance,” Martin said. “Obviously as we continue playing and if we keep playing well, we expect that our numbers will outshine last year.”

On Jan. 27, the Butler swim team hosted the Butler Invitational.

The Bulldogs finished in fourth place with a total of 289 points behind Xavier, IUPUI and winner Illinois State.

Sophomore Lauren Scotti had only positive things to say about the team’s ongoing season.

“I feel like, this year, we have a lot more skill on the team and depth in certain events,” Scotti said. “We have a really good variety of girls that can help us out.”

Scotti finished in the top 10 in all three of her events last weekend.

Freshman Abby Gibbons did well at the invitational, contributing to the eighth-place finish in the 200-medley relay.

Looking to the team’s future, Elizabeth Miller— another contributor to the team’s fourth-place finish— seemed optimistic about the incoming additions.

“We are bringing in a great group of freshmen so far,” Miller said. “We have four or five girls that have already committed, and that’s always a positive. I think we’ll be good.”

The team’s next competition is at Valparaiso on Feb. 2.

The Butler men’s basketball team is back on the road at Atlantic 10 Conference foe Saint Louis.

The Billikens are 14-5 overall and have a 3-2 record in the A-10.

Saint Louis is tied with Massachusetts for third in the conference.

Senior forward Cody Ellis leads the Billikens in scoring with 11.2 points per game.

Saint Louis advanced to the second round of last season’s NCAA tournament.

Tip off is set for 9 p.m. tomorrow.

The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

The Bulldogs (17-3, 4-1) remain in the Top 10 in both major polls this week.

The Associated Press has Butler placed ninth in its Top 25 for the second straight week.

The USA Today Coaches Poll has the Bulldogs slotted at 10th in this week’s rankings.

The Butler women’s basketball team continued its winning streak last Sunday, defeating Virginia Commonwealth 65-45.

This win marked the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs (13-7, 4-1), who have won 10 of their last 12.

Although the Rams (8-12, 1-4) played close for most of the game, Butler began to pull away at the midpoint of the second half.

After stretching their lead to eight at the 10-minute mark, the Bulldogs never looked back, outscoring VCU 24-12 from that point on.

Junior forward Daress McClung led the Bulldogs with a game-high 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

“I felt like we brought a lot of energy,” McClung said. “We really focused in on what we were working on.”

Coach Beth Couture said she was uneasy about how her team would handle playing against the Rams’ zone defense.

“I was a little nervous going into the game, knowing they play so much zone,” Couture said.

However, McClung had no problem scoring against the zone-heavy VCU squad.

She shot 56 percent from the field, including three 3-pointers.

Junior guard Mandy McDivitt contributed 10 points and four assists.

“We just knew that if we had our heads up, somebody was going to be open,” McDivitt said.

Sophomore center Liz Stratman was also effective, totaling 10 points, nine boards and four blocks for the Bulldogs.

Stratman has been a difference-maker for the Bulldogs this season.

Since she became eligible to play in December, Butler has posted a 9-2 record with Stratman on the floor.

Stratman, a transfer from Xavier, was forced to sit out the first 10 games of the season.

The team was 5-5 before her arrival.

The Bulldogs are tied with Fordham for second in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Butler faces a tough test in their next matchup, a road game versus Saint Joseph’s.

The Hawks are 13-5 overall and 4-0 in conference play.

The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. tonight.

Rotnei Clarke picked up right where he left off.

The senior guard led the Butler men’s basketball team with 24 points in its 83-71 win against Temple.

Clarke received a roaring welcome from the sellout crowd of 10,000 at Hinkle FIeldhouse during introductions of the starting lineups.

The Owls (13-6, 2-3) were led out of the gate by senior guard Khalif Wyatt who led the team with 22 points, 16 coming in the first half.

Temple held the led over the Bulldogs (17-3, 4-1) for much of the first half because of the Owls’ 63.6 percent three-point shooting.

The Temple lead was as high as seven when Butler freshman guard Kellen Dunham hit two successive three-pointers to cut the lead to 21-20.

Clarke hit a jumper on the next possession to put Butler in front for the first time with nine minutes remaining in the half.

The Bulldogs would lose the lead briefly but pushed the advantage to as much as eight points before the Owls pulled to within three points as the half ended.

After the break, Butler’s lead grew to 13 with more than 13 minutes remaining in the game.

However, Temple fought back with threes by senior guard Scootie Randall and senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson made a free throw after being fouled on a successful layup to tie the game at 56 with 8:12 remaining.

A dunk from junior forward Khyle Marshall off a pass from Clarke brought the lead back to the Bulldogs.

Dunham followed with a couple of timely three-pointers that were able to help Butler pull away for good.

Clarke did not appear to be held back by any aftereffects of the sprained neck he suffered in the Jan. 12 game at Dayton. The senior missed three games because of the injury.

“It was great, just kind of heartwarming to have him back on the court knowing what he went through and knowing how scary it was,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said.

“Knowing something like that happens puts a lot of things in perspective,” Clarke said. “I just wanted to be able to get back out there with these guys and our coaches and coming away with a win was even better.”

Clarke was knocked to the floor several times over the course of Saturday’s game but he said he was not affected.

“Honestly going into the game, I wasn’t worried about it,” Clarke said. “I was just going to go out and play the same way I’ve always played. It was a crazy incident what happened, so I was just going into it with a peace of mind knowing I was going to play the same way.”

Butler’s offense operates better with Clarke on the court, Stevens said.

“We’re a better transition team, obviously with Rotnei in the game because of the way Rotnei passes the ball,” Stevens said. “But also, the threat of him shooting when crosses 27 feet or so.”

Teammates were on the receiving end of Clarke’s team-high nine assists, many of them dunks.

“It’s easy to get assists when you can throw it up there and guys just grab it and dunk it in like this guy (Marshall),” Clarke said.

Marshall scored 19 points, 14 of which were scored off of dunks.

Dunham was almost perfect from behind the arc, shooting five-of-six on three-pointers. Dunham finished the game with 17 points.

Stevens said Clarke’s absence was beneficial for the young shooter.

“I really believe that that’s probably the thing that you can say with certainty that he’s rising,” Stevens said. “He’s really playing with a great deal of confidence but he’s playing well on both ends of the floor.”

Clarke’s return was great news for the team but Stevens said he was pleased with the way the team played in his absence.

“Knock on wood we don’t have to go through that again with any of our players where they have to sit out, but if it does happen, we’ll just sub the next guy in and find a way,” Stevens said. “I was really proud of our guys. The way they played over those 150 minutes—that was big time the way they stepped up.”

The Butler softball team is gearing up for its 2013 spring campaign without seven players from last year’s team.

Last season, the Bulldogs finished with an overall record of 25-32 and 13-11 in the Horizon League.

Butler graduated six seniors from last year’s team, and Kayla Gray will forgo her final year of eligibility due to injury.

Gray started 52 of the 57 games last year and played in 142 games in her Butler career.

Butler produced 207 runs with a .331 on base percentage and 28 home runs in just 57 games last season.

Coach Scott Hall is in his third year at Butler. The Bulldogs will be hitting the Atlantic 10 for their inaugural season.

“I’m excited for the change,” Hall said. “Butler is a better fit for the A-10.”

Before Butler battles anyone, they must compete amongst themselves first. With players graduating, the possibility of playing time has opened up.

“We have always had to compete, but it’s a little more intense this year,” junior Callie Dennison said. “In the end, it doesn’t matter who’s on the field because we are a team first.”

The young Butler team will have nine freshman  and six sophomores of its 23 players on the roster.

“I think having so much youth this year could be seen as a challenge, but everybody is willing to put in the extra work in order to make themselves and the team better,” freshman infielder Krosley Ogden said. “We have a lot of great athletes, and I don’t see age having anything to do with that.”

Ogden said the team has many goals for itself, including to compete in its new conference.

“Just like all the other athletic programs at Butler,” Ogden said, “we really want to compete in our new conference and ultimately win the tournament.”

Sports injuries can be a scary thing for athletes, family and fans.

The Butler community realized this when standout senior transfer Rotnei Clarke flew headfirst into the base of a hoop in a win against Dayton on Jan. 12.

Clarke was fouled hard by Flyers defender Matt Derenbecker and hit the basket, suffering a neck sprain. He was taken off  the court on a stretcher after nearly eight minutes in front of a packed arena and a national TV audience on the NBC Sports Network.

The entire country heard him  tell trainer Ryan Galloy and team doctor, Tom Fisher, “I can’t move.”

Doctors told Clarke not to move after he said he felt numb.

This was all heard on national television, and this didn’t sit well with Butler officials.

The university filed a complaint with the Atlantic 10  conference and the NBC Sports Network because fans watching the broadcast knew more about his status than his family and team did.

Galloy said he wasn’t paying attention to the cameras at the time but later learned about the situation.

“I thought it was rather unorthodox that they recorded everything,” Galloy said.

Jim McGrath, Butler sports information director, learned about the situation when Fisher contacted him after returning to Indianapolis. McGrath forwarded Fisher’s concerns to A-10 officials, who, in turn, contacted the NBC Sports Network.

Drew Dickerson, A-10 director of communications and media relations, said they contacted the network, as well as every institution in the conference.

“We contacted the NBC Sports Network, and they apologized,” Dickerson said. “They assured to contact production teams.”

Dickerson said each institution’s game management personnel was instructed on the importance of managing TV crew during games.

Normally during an injury in any sort of game, cameras will focus on an injured player but not record sound.

McGrath said NBC was in agreement that the coverage went too far and it should have backed down on the audio coverage.

Fisher’s main goal was to make sure something like this never happens again, McGrath said.

Analyst Jay Bilas said it’s a “hard sell” to convince him that television shouldn’t cover an event as it’s happening live.

“(This is) something that everybody should talk about and decide what’s the right thing to do because those are important issues that need to be discussed in a serious manner,” Bilas said.

McGrath also said this is an important issue in the world of sports.

“It raises an interesting question,” McGrath said. “In a public place, where is the line drawn that the public is not allowed to find out what is going on?”

Clarke said he doesn’t think much of the controversy but understands the situation.

“I was just in the moment and worried about and thinking about my health at that point,” Clarke said. “It was a little bit of invasion of privacy, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Clarke is ruled out for tonight’s game at La Salle but is expected to return Saturday night against Temple.

“I’ve progressed daily,” Clarke said. “I think I’m doing well and ahead of schedule.”

Clarke said he wasn’t feeling pain the day before the Gonzaga game, and he was able to get in the gym and take a few shots.

Tonight’s game is televised on WNDY, and Saturday night’s game will be on ESPN2. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

On Jan. 19, College GameDay made its way to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the matchup between the Gonzaga and the Butler Bulldogs.

Before Saturday’s  game, Dawg Pound member Ari Kasle was asked what expectations he had for the contest.

“I think any time Butler is on the court, magic things happen,” he said.

This pregame prediction was spot on.

With 3.5 seconds to go in the game, 63-62 Gonzaga, chances of a Butler victory were slipping away.

The Gonzaga in-bounds pass was stolen by sophomore guard Roosevelt Jones, and  before the clock hit zero, he put up a floater and a prayer.

After the shot went in and students rushed the floor, the overall experience of College GameDay was complete.

Butler’s victory was the icing on the cake for the entire GameDay experience.

The day started with students lining up outside Hinkle before 6 am.

Students waited in the cold for the chance to be a part of a prestigious basketball tradition and to be seen by the entire nation on ESPN.

Once the doors opened, people rushed into Hinkle.

Before the GameDay broadcast, ESPN analyst Digger Phelps gave a pre-game pep talk to get the crowd excited for the show. ESPN’s presence created an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation in for students and fans in Hinkle.

During the broadcast, ESPN continually involved the crowd. ESPN utilized students as backgrounds for the interviews of both coach Brad Stevens and senior guard Rotnei Clarke.

Throughout the broadcast, ESPN frequently panned sections of the crowd to include all of the students and make their efforts worthwhile.

In return, students and fans showed their appreciation for the game.

Freshman Mike Schau said College GameDay was a “once in a lifetime experience and probably the biggest game I’ve been to at Hinkle in my life.”

As the GameDay show was winding down, junior Kevin Schwartz was selected to shoot a half-court shot, worth $18,000 if he made it.

Schwartz was successful on his first attempt and received his check.

He broke ESPN’s streak of 32 failed attempts. It was the first made half-court shot on College GameDay in four years.

While he was excited about making the shot, Schwartz said he was more eager for Butler’s upcoming game.

“This is one of the biggest games we’ve ever had at Butler, especially in my last two and a half years,” Schwartz said. “To see the whole school rally behind this team is pretty incredible.”

Not only was GameDay an experience for sports fanatics to check off their bucket list, it was also what charged the sixth man of Butler basketball to push the Bulldogs to a magical victory.